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9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This concurrent resolution acknowledges the vital role of the Electoral College in the
12 presidential election process.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 ▸ highlights the importance of individual states in electing the President of the United
16 States; and
17 ▸ addresses the advantages of the Electoral College over the National Popular Vote
18 Interstate Compact.
19 Special Clauses:
20 None
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22 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
23 WHEREAS, the Founding Fathers rejected having the President of the United States
24 elected by a national popular vote and instead chose the Electoral College system;
25 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system encourages presidential candidates to
26 campaign in large metropolitan areas as well as in rural areas and small states;
27 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system ensures that the winning presidential
28 candidate has support from multiple regions of the country;
29 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system respects the Founding Fathers' strong
30 belief that individual states should have a vital role in electing the President of the United
31 States;
32 WHEREAS, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact diminishes the importance
33 of individual states in presidential elections;
34 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system respects the separation and balance of
35 power and authority between state governments and the federal government;
36 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system ensures that Utah's electoral votes are
37 awarded based on how the majority of the state's electors voted;
38 WHEREAS, under the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Utah's electoral votes
39 may be awarded to a candidate for whom the majority of the state's electors did not vote;
40 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system is better suited to address recounts
41 because they occur at the state level and are thus more manageable than if recounts were to
42 occur at the national level as may be the case pursuant to the National Popular Vote Interstate
43 Compact, if adopted;
44 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system creates a necessary balance between
45 agrarian and industrial interests;
46 WHEREAS, the current Electoral College system best preserves the principles of
47 federalism and prevents the fracture of the nation's political structure;
48 WHEREAS, the United States Congress has rejected over one thousand amendments to
49 the United States Constitution to change the Electoral College, including amendments to
50 implement a popular vote system; and
51 WHEREAS, the legality of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is
52 questionable because Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution sets forth that,
53 without the consent of the United States Congress, no state may "enter into any Agreement or
54 Compact with another State":
55 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
56 Governor concurring therein, supports the current Electoral College system as the best way to
57 elect the President of the United States.
58 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor
59 concurring therein, opposes the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and will defend the
60 Electoral College as created in the United States Constitution.